Use the hashtag #FreeIssam for all of your posts during the action!
On 5 January, Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network is joining with Alkarama Palestinian Women’s Mobilization, Palestine Online, Palestine Defense Forces, VPalestine and Palestine SunBird for a social media action to #FreeIssam – Dr. Issam Hijjawi Bassalat, Palestinian political prisoner in British jails.
He faces another court hearing on 6 January, as he remains wrongfully imprisoned. Join us in a social media action on Tuesday, 5 January to support this Palestinian doctor who has given so much to his community in Edinburgh as well as the broader Palestinian community. Today, he is facing worsening pain and the atrophy of his leg on a daily basis, while the presumption of innocence is being cast aside for political gamesmanship. Join the call to #FreeIssam and urge the immediate release of Dr. Issam Hijjawi Bassalat and the provision of the medical care he so desperately needs.
Dr. Issam Hijjawi Bassalat is a Palestinian doctor (a general practitioner or GP) who has lived in Edinburgh, Scotland, since 2010. Dr. Hijjawi Bassalat, 62, came to the UK in 1995 to work as a doctor, and he is a well-known, respected member of the Palestinian community in Scotland and the father of four. He previously served as chair of the Association of Palestinian Communities in Scotland (today, the Scottish Palestinian Society) and has been active throughout Europe in advocating for Palestinian rights to return, freedom and justice, speaking frequently at meetings, conferences and events.
Today, Dr. Issam Hijjawi Bassalat is a political prisoner, held in high-security Maghaberry Prison in the north of Ireland. He was targeted by an MI5 infiltrator to attend a bugged meeting with members of Saoradh, an Irish republican socialist political party that advocates for an end to British colonialism and a united Ireland. He was detained on 22 August at Heathrow Airport on the same day that nine members of Saoradh were also arrested by British forces in what was labeled “Operation Arbacia.”
Unjust Bail Refusal amid Worsening Health
Dr. Issam Hijjawi Bassalat has faced increasingly worse health conditions inside Maghaberry Prison. Issam suffers from serious health conditions and is not receiving the treatment he needs; instead, he has suffered from multiple delays that amount to a form of torture, forcing him to suffer in unnecessary pain as his condition worsens. He has experienced back pain and a spinal condition prior to his arrest when he suffered a slipped disc in July. The conditions of his imprisonment have exacerbated his injuries, especially due to the medical neglect of the prison administration.
Despite this situation, Issam has been repeatedly refused bail. Most recently, his bail application was once again refused on 22 December, despite overwhelming evidence of both his severe health situation and the effects of imprisonment upon his medical decline. As noted by Issam’s barrister, Brenda Campbell, QC, “Within the prison system they have really reached the end of the road in terms of trying to make him more comfortable. He requires surgery, he is experiencing muscle wastage as a result of what he is very much concerned about is nerve damage that may be permanent.”
Declining Health and Medical Neglect
He was taken by the prison administration for an MRI on 15 September before being placed in isolation in a run-down location called Foyle House for 14 days. While this was explained as a COVID-19 preventative measure, this means that he was in isolation for four weeks with only a break of a few days in conditions that did not allow him to walk or exercise, which at that time still provided some relief for his condition. His situation was so severe that he launched a hunger strike to get out of isolation that was supported by 50 Irish republican prisoners.
Now, he has been in severe pain for weeks despite taking painkillers and needs crutches to walk, and it is his belief – as a medical doctor – that he will need surgery.
Issam has gone so far as to offer to pay for private surgery and is in touch with a neurosurgeon; however, the prison administration has failed to turn over his medical records, further prolonging his agony. As noted by the Scottish Campaign Against Criminalizing Communities, this failure to provide treatment constitutes a potential breach of the prohibition on torture, inhuman or degrading treatment under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
MI5 Infiltration and Dubious Charges
The arrests sprang from the decades-long infiltration of Irish republican movements by MI5 agent Dennis McFadden, detailed in a Channel 4 News report (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxszWn367pY). Issam was entrapped into a meeting with McFadden on false pretenses after he was told by British officials that he had to pick up his daughter’s passport renewal in Belfast instead of Glasgow. There, he was invited to what was presented to him as a Saoradh meeting to discuss international solidarity and the Palestinian cause; he had previously spoken to a Saoradh Ard Fheis (annual meeting) about Palestine, an open, public event.
He is charged with “preparatory acts of terrorism” under the 2006 Terrorism Act, based on his attendance at this meeting engineered by MI5. Issam’s solicitor, Gavin Booth, has seen the transcript of the meeting Issam was compelled to attend, noting that “Everything that’s contained within the transcripts and the recordings is about Palestine, is about peaceful and democratic change. There’s nothing in the transcripts from Dr Bassalat that would support violence in any way.” Despite these facts and the presumption of innocence that is supposed to apply, he has been denied bail on two occasions and is being held on remand.
Targeting Issam’s Bank Account and Medical License
This is not the only form of mistreatment Issam has suffered. His bank account was frozen, denying him access to funds and creating even more inconvenience and trauma for his family — again, all while he ostensibly retains the presumption of innocence. Issam’s licence to practise medicine was suspended by the General Medical Council (GMC) on 26 October 2020 after the charges filed against him, despite the fact that he has been convicted of nothing and that the charges in no way relate to his fitness to practise medicine or his treatment of his patients.
Issam is being targeted as a Palestinian in an attempt to justify the MI5 infiltration of public political parties and to smear both the Palestinian and Irish struggles through entrapment and misrepresentation. As a result, this Palestinian doctor who has given so much to his community in Edinburgh as well as the broader Palestinian community is facing worsening pain and the atrophy of his leg on a daily basis, while the presumption of innocence is being cast aside for political gamesmanship. We urge the immediate release of Dr. Issam Hijjawi Bassalat and the provision of the medical care he so desperately needs.
Online Zoom Event: Military Education in Egypt
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*ENGLISH*
(German and Arabic below)
In the context of the “Internationalist Student Forum” Studis gegen rechte Hetze and Samidoun Deutschland are excited to invite you all to our next online event titled “Military Education in Egypt”.
Here we wish to learn from our comrade and speaker, ElSayed, about the interconnections of the Egyptian military with state apparatus and particularly the education system in the broader context of international militarization. Since Egypt is one of the biggest recipients of arms exports from Germany, it is all the more pressing to deal with this subject matter in our current times.
**When:
Date: 7th of January 2021
Time: 6pm (Berlin Time) (7pm Cairo and Jerusalem Time)
Please click on the following link to register: https://bit.ly/2LR1yxS
The event will be in English. Arabic Translation will be provided. In the Discussion questions can be asked in English, Arabic or German.
**About the Speaker:
ElSayed is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Manchester, Department of Social Anthropology. He holds an MA in Anthropology from Central European University. His research interests include politics of exile, displacement and dispossessions, and state configurations.
He will be focusing in his talk on the Military Education Course at Egyptian universities. The military education course (al-tarbya al-askarya) is a two-week mandatory subject for university male students in Egypt, in which students learn about the military and its culture and activities and perform basic military exercises. In this talk, ElSayed will present his experience during the course at university in Cairo. By doing so, he explores the workings of the post-2011 militarized politics from below.
**About the Internationalist Student Forum:
The Internationalist Student Forum wishes to center student voices that question global capitalism, (neo)colonialism, imperialism and hegemonic racist structures globally in order to offer a counter-narrative of student voices from below. By learning from each other we wish to strengthen international solidarity and unite our struggles.
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*GERMAN*
Im Rahmen des „Internationalist Studierenden Forum“ freut sich Studis gegen rechte Hetze und Samidoun Deutschland Euch alle zur nächsten Online-Veranstaltung mit dem Titel „Military Education in Egypt“ einzuladen.
Hier möchten wir von unserem Genossen und Referenten, ElSayed, über den Zusammenhang des ägyptischen Militärs mit dem Staatsapparat und insbesondere mit dem Bildungssystem im breiteren Kontext der internationalen Militarisierung erfahren. Ägypten ist eines der größten Empfänger von deutschen Waffenexporten, deswegen ist es umso wichtiger, dass eine Auseinandersetzung mit diesem Thema stattfindet.
**Wann:
Datum: 7. Januar 2021
Uhrzeit: 18 Uhr (Berlin Zeit) (19 Uhr Kairo und Jerusalem Zeit)
Bitte klicken Sie auf den folgenden Link, um sich zu registrieren: https://bit.ly/2LR1yxS
Die Veranstaltung wird auf Englisch sein (Arabisch-Übersetzung wird vorhanden sein). In der Diskussion können jedoch Fragen auf Englisch, Deutsch oder Arabisch gestellt werden.
**Über den Referenten:
ElSayed ist derzeit Doktorand an der Universität von Manchester, Abteilung für Sozialanthropologie. Seinen MA bekam er in Anthropologie an der Central European University. Seine Forschungsinteressen umfassen Exilpolitik, Vertreibung und Enteignung sowie staatliche Konfigurationen.
Er wird sich in seinem Vortrag auf den militärischen Ausbildungskurs an ägyptischen Universitäten konzentrieren.
Der militärische Ausbildungskurs (al-tarbya al-askarya) ist ein zweiwöchiges Pflichtfach für männliche Universitätsstudenten in Ägypten, in dem die Studenten etwas über das Militär und seine Kultur und Aktivitäten lernen und grundlegende militärische Übungen durchführen. In diesem Vortrag wird ElSayed seine Erfahrungen während des Kurses an der Universität in Kairo vorstellen. Auf diese Weise untersucht er die Funktionsweise der militarisierten Politik nach 2011 aus einer Perspektive von unten (from below).
**Über das Internationalistische Studierenden Forum:
Das Internationalistische Studierenden Forum möchte Studierendenstimmen zusammenbringen, die den globalen Kapitalismus, (Neo-) Kolonialismus, Imperialismus und hegemoniale rassistische Strukturen in Frage stellen, um einen Gegendiskurs von Studierendenstimmen von unten aufzubauen. Indem wir voneinander lernen, wollen wir die internationale Solidarität und unsere Kämpfe stärken und zusammendenken.
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*ARABIC*
استمراراً في أنشطة “المنتدى الأممي للطلبة”، يسرّ كل من “طلبة ضد التحريض اليميني” و”صامدون- ألمانيا” دعوتكم جميعاً لحضور فعاليتنا الإلكترونية الثانية تحت عنوان “التعليم العسكري في مصر”.
في هذه الندوة يسعى صديقنا والمتحدث في هذا اللقاء، السيد، للحديث عن أوجه الترابط بين الجيش المصري وجهاز الدولة مع نظام التعليم. خصوصاً في السياق الأوسع للعسكرة الدولية. مصر تعتبر واحدة من أكثر الدول التي تستورد الأسلحة من ألمانيا، وبالتالي فإنه من المهم جدا الخوض في تفاصيل هذه الظاهرة وتحليل انعكاساتها وآثارها في عصرنا الحالي.
التاريخ: السابع من كانون الثاني/ يناير ٢٠٢١
الوقت: السادسة مساءً بتوقيت برلين, السابعة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة و القدس
للتسجيل يرجى الضغط على الرابط التالي:
https://bit.ly/2LR1yxS
ستعقد الندوة باللغة الإنجليزية مع توفر ترجمة للغة العربية، خلال النقاش يمكن طرح الأسئلة باللغة العربية.
عن المتحدث:
السيد، طالب دكتوراه في قسم علم الأنثروبولوجية الاجتماعية في جامعة مانشستر. حاصل على درجة الماجستير في علم الإنسان من جامعة أوروبا الوسطى. تدور اهتماماته البحثية حول سياسات المنفى والتهجير، انتزاع الملكية، وتشكيلات الدولة.
سيركز السيد في حديثه على “دورة التربية العسكرية” في الجامعات المصرية، وهي مادة إلزامية لمدة أسبوعين موجهة فقط لطلبة الجامعات الذكور في مصر، يتعرف من خلالها الطالب على الجيش وثقافته وأنشطته و يقوم خلالها بإجراء التدريبات العسكرية الأساسية. من خلال هذا اللقاء، سيشارك السيد تجربته الشخصية في هذه الدورة عندما درس في جامعة القاهرة وسيناقش السياسة العسكرية المتبعة خصوصاً بعد عام 2011.
عن المنتدى الأممي للطلبة:
يهدف المنتدى إلى تعزيز صوت الطلبة في مواجهة الرأسمالية العالمية والاستعمار(الجديد) والإمبريالية والهياكل العنصرية التي تسعى لتفكيك قيم العمل الطلابي بشقيه النقابي والسياسي. على هذا الأساس يدعم المنتدى الخطاب الثوري المضاد الذي يعمل على تفكيك هذه الهيمنة ودعم الفكر المناهض لهذه البنية. يؤمن المنتدى الأممي للطلبة بأهمية تعزيز التضامن الدولي وتوحيد النضال من خلال مشاركة الخبرات وبناء شراكات على أسس المواجهة الاستراتيجية للتيارات الإمبريالية والأفكار الاستعمارية.
The Palestinian National Charter: History, Present and Future
How was the National Charter violated, and how can the people regain their sole legitimate constitution?
What are the mechanisms for protecting the National Charter according to the Palestinian popular will?
Featured Speakers: Dr. Anis al-Qasim, expert in international law Jaber Suleiman, researcher and expert on Palestinian refugee rights
Saturday, 30 January 2021
10 am Pacific – 1 pm Eastern – 6 pm central Europe – 7 pm Palestine
Over Zoom
Organized by the Preparatory Committee of the Conference for the Palestinian Alternative Path
The interventions will be published (in Arabic) in Al-Adab magazine.
This event will take place in Arabic, with English translation provided over Zoom.
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network has chapters and affiliates in the United States, Canada, Germany, Britain, France, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Spain, Palestine and Lebanon and we work with groups around the world. Would you like to form a local chapter or become an affiliate? Contact us at samidoun@samidoun.net.
